NEWARK, NJ — New NJ TRANSIT bus schedules will take effect on many routes September 1, 2012, including implementation of the agency’s Bus Service Optimization plan that contains both service reductions on underperforming routes as well as new investment in expanded and enhanced service along heavily-travelled corridors.

NJ TRANSIT’s Bus Service Optimization initiative forecasts approximately $2.5 million in annual operating savings, which will be utilized to help keep fares stable for the nearly 250 million customers who utilize NJ TRANSIT services on an annual basis. Of this savings, NJ TRANSIT has reinvested more than $1 million to expand and enhance bus service within the City of Newark, in addition to key corridors between Newark, Newark Airport and Elizabeth.

Effective September 1, this reinvestment of savings will be reflected in the restructuring of the No. 62 (Newark-Woodbridge-Perth Amboy) bus route into two separate routes, allowing for the creation of 24/7 service between the heavily-travelled Newark-Newark Airport and Elizabeth Corridor. The routes will operate as follows:

No. 62: Service will operate exclusively between Elizabeth and Newark Penn Station via Newark Liberty International Airport. Select trips will continue to operate via the south area of the Airport along Earhart Drive. Service has been expanded to operate 24-hours a day weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays between Elizabeth, Newark Liberty International Airport and Newark Penn Station.

No. 48 (new bus route): This new service will operate between Elizabeth (Broad and Jersey streets) and all southern destinations previously served by the No. 62 Line, including Perth Amboy, Woodbridge Center Mall, Metropark and Rahway. Transfers are available in Elizabeth for service to Newark and Newark Liberty International Airport, as well as to many locations throughout Union County.

Note: A Continuing Trip Ticket has been created for customers transferring between the No. 48 and 62 lines at Broad and Jersey streets in Elizabeth in order to allow travel between zones 1 and 2 on the No. 62 and zones 2 through 5 on the No. 48 at no additional fare.

Additional reinvestment will be reflected in the extension of the No. 99 (Clifton Avenue Crosstown) bus route to the Branch Brook Park Newark Light Rail Station, providing Newark residents and employees with connections to more than a dozen routes and access to the light rail system. Nearly all trips on weekdays, Saturday and Sundays have been extended to Branch Brook Park Light Rail Station.

NJ TRANSIT achieved the savings and reinvestment by making adjustments to ten bus routes, including the elimination of service on some routes. The routes are either largely underutilized, or directly compete with NJ TRANSIT rail or light rail services. These routes average 16 customers per trip, in comparison to the systemwide average of 35.

The routes that will be discontinued effective September 1 include:

No. 42 (Newark-18th Avenue)

No. 43 (Newark-Jersey City)

No. 75 (Butler-Newark)

No. 93 (Bloomfield-Newark Light Rail)

Other routes will be adjusted September 1 as follows:

No. 56 (Elizabeth/Cranford/Winfield): Weekday schedules have been adjusted during the AM and PM peak periods from 25/40 minutes to 60 minutes.

No. 57 (Elizabeth/Linden): Weekday schedules have been adjusted to eliminate the first and last round trips.

No. 181 (Union City-NY/GWB): Sunday service will be discontinued. Alternate service is available on the No. 156 bus route.

go28 (No. 258 Bloomfield/Newark Airport): Service will now operate every 30 minutes, seven days a week year-round, including weekends and holidays. Service on the University Heights Branch has been eliminated. Customers along Clifton Avenue, Norfolk Street and Central Avenue should utilize the nos. 41, 99, 108, and Coach USA 24/44 Lines for connections to Downtown Newark, Newark Airport and Newark Light Rail.

No. 451 (Camden/Lindenwold PATCO): Service between Voorhees Town Center and Lindenwold PATCO has been eliminated, with alternate service available via the nos. 403 and 459 bus routes.

No. 604 (Trenton/East Trenton): Trips operating only between Trenton Transit Center and the Justice Complex have been eliminated.

NJ TRANSIT’s Bus Service Optimization initiative resulted from extensive examination of each of NJ TRANSIT’s existing bus routes. As part of this process, the bus routes were broken down into seventeen groupings or geographic markets and reviewed using twenty separate metrics, including customers per hour, fare box recovery and subsidy per customer. The process is in keeping with NJ TRANSIT’s Scorecard initiative, which uses a system of metrics in five strategic areas of focus to help drive decision making.

In June, NJ TRANSIT conducted an open public comment period and held two public hearings and an information session to solicit feedback from customers and members of the public. The final Bus Service Optimization plan being implemented on September 1 reflects the customer feedback received during that time.

For detailed service changes on all affected routes, customers are encouraged to consult new timetables, available onboard buses, at NJ TRANSIT customer service offices at major terminals or online at www.njtransit.com.

About NJ TRANSIT

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 895,000 weekday trips on 260 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the second largest transit system in the country with 164 rail stations, 61 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.